Rebels top Cavs 5-3 in third round

Ray Gora / Lincoln Times-NewsThe Rebels celebrate with closer Chandler Jenkins (#16) after the Rebels’ 5-3 win over East Rutherford in the third round of the 2A state playoffs on Friday.

West Lincoln hosts Smoky Mountain on Tuesday

Staff report

West Lincoln’s run through the 2A state baseball playoffs continues.
The Rebels topped the East Rutherford Cavaliers 5-3 in the third round on Friday to advance to a fourth-round clash with Smoky Mountain on West Lincoln’s home field on Tuesday.
Cody Dellinger’s one-out sacrifice in the bottom of the fifth put the Rebels on top 4-3 and Brett Huff scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth for West Lincoln’s final run of the game.
Cameron High singled home Chandler Jenkins in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1-1. Chris Callahan drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the second and scored on a one-out triple by Huff to give the Rebels a 2-1 lead and Huff scored on an error on an infield ground ball.
The Cavaliers knotted the score at 3-3 in the top of the fifth on a two-out, two-RBI single by the Rebels took the lead back in the sixth.
“I was impressed with the way they managed to play loose and under control and not get caught up in the emotion there,” West Lincoln head coach Allan Chapman said. “That’s exactly what you’d expect from a bunch of seniors. They just go play and stay loose.”
The Rebels host Smoky Mountain, the Western N.C. Athletic Conference No. 1 seed, at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Smoky Mountain (18-6) advanced to the regional semifinal game with a 9-4 win over Shelby on Friday. Randleman and Piedmont meet Tuesday on the other side of the 2A West bracket.